Rachel Lockwood
A.S.
Dreamy warmth, and wide awake in every dream,
scent of caramel and ginger,
the rain falling straight up and down
like the white paint edging the stairs,
you climb up
like some white knight,
you come inside
and watch me drink red wine and cook cheap mince.
You regale me
with the time you raised a calf to butcher,
she had sweet eyes
and attended your 17th birthday party,
you’re murmuring, soothing,
you’re good, you’re good.
Ali’s Baby
My first niece, and she felt like mine.
My own little red-head.
I remember when she first seemed like a person to me,
Suddenly, with likes and dislikes
And thoughts that came out of her mouth like syrup.
She’s the first person I looked at and saw her baby cheeks as a super imposition.
Stubborn poppy seed,
Mothering ginger kittens with aggression,
Making wishes on thrown stones.
I’m an admirer now,
Taking thoughts about new growth
And tucking them back into my pocket.
I’m playing it cool for her,
The coolest girl,
With an Aunty who buys her perfume in the city and mails it home.
In my mind there’s always a soft spot and I am
Reaching out to cover it with my hand.
Rachel Lockwood is a Hawke’s Bay gal and a secondary school teacher. She has been previously published in Starling, Mayhem, and the 2023 NZ Poetry Yearbook, among others.